“I can drive you if you’re feeling a little shaky,” he says.
“I think I’m okay.”
“I’ll follow you just in case,” the chief says with a nod. “Ethan, I’ll take care of her from here. You can bring the truck back with Doug.”
Ethan nods to his fire chief and then turns to me with a longing look.
I slip out of the seat and head outside into the cool air. I turn back and take one last look at the gorgeous fireman I’ve been crushing on for weeks. It was a fake crush before. Some unknown man on a silly calendar. But now… Now, the crush is real.
And it’s burning red hot.
CHAPTER FIVE
June
The hotel was a good idea.
I wake up refreshed and stretching out in this big warm bed.
My mind immediately jumps back to that moment in the back of the fire truck with Ethan’s strong hands gripping mine, his beautiful possessive eyes watching me like I was already his, my heart racing, my body submitting, my mind knowing there was no recovering from this.
I feel a tingling between my legs and I can’t help but touch myself until I relieve it. I cum harder than I’ve came before, turning on the bed and screaming into the pillow so no other guests can hear how desperate I am for that gorgeous fireman.
I head right into the shower, groaning when I see myself. I was horrified at how I looked last night. When I got into the room, my mood was soaring even though half my studio and home had burnt down. But all of those positive feelings camecrashing down when I stepped into the bathroom and saw my horrendous reflection.
I was a mess. My hair was chaotic and full of white powder. There was soot, clay, and paint smeared all over my clothes. And my skin was a grimy, sweaty, blackened disaster.
I can’t believe I was gazing at that perfect, flawless face the whole time, and he was looking back atthat. God. No wonder he didn’t kiss me. I looked like a swamp monster.
I get myself ready, have a nice breakfast downstairs, and then try to prepare myself as I return home to see the damage in the daylight. I know it’s going to be hard. I’ve been so focused on Mr. April that I haven’t really been thinking of the mess waiting for me.
That stupid kiln. I want to drive it to a volcano and drop it inside.
“Here we go,” I whisper as I drive by the fire station. I slow to a crawl as I pass by it, my head craned all the way as I try to catch a glimpse of Mr. April. I see two guys inside, but neither of them are Ethan. I’m not sure how the scheduling works. Would he still be working if he was on duty last night?
The car behind me honks in frustration. One of the firemen turns and looks my way, so I whip my head back and speed off, feeling like a moron.
I call the insurance on the way and talk to the nice girl working there. She opens a claim and tells me that a claims adjuster will be coming by later this week to assess the damage. She also says that they’re going to pay for the inn that I’m staying at and that I can start cleaning up debris and patching up any holes.
So, that’s what I’m going to do today. I’m going to clean up and make a plan.
I get so nervous as I’m driving up, afraid that it’s going to be worse than it looked last night.
I hold my breath as I turn the bend and my studio comes into view.
“What the hell?” I whisper when I see a big black pickup truck parked in my driveway.
My stomach drops, thinking that it may be a thief. I’ve heard that burglars sometimes target homes that were recently burned, but that can’t be it. I live in the middle of nowhere and the fire was only a few hours ago. Nobody knows about it except for me, the insurance company, and…
“Holy crappers.”
My mouth drops as I see Ethan walk around my barn with a few scorched planks of wood on his shoulder. He’s wearing jeans, work boots, a tight gray T-shirt, and has a leather tool belt hanging from his waist. I get a shiver of arousal when I see the hammer hanging down.
He sees me and that sexy mouth curls up into a smile. I just stare back with my jaw touching my chest.
I watch in awe as he easily tosses the wood into the back of his pickup truck like it was a pile of toothpicks. He smacks his gloved hands together and walks over as I park and turn off my car.
“Good morning,” he says with a devastating smile as I step out.
